Exploring Oregon

 
Of Waterfalls and Llama
Our weekend at Fairview Peak did not result in the spectacular sunset or sunrise pictures I had been hoping for. My husband and I had been up on the tower twice before, but neither of us remembered just how windy it is up there. Taking pictures from the tower was limited by the lighting conditions, although I did get some interesting shots.

As it was late October, the sun set around 6:30 or so, and it was completely dark a short time later. The tower cabin came equipped with propane appliances including two overhead lamps, which didn't give off much light. We were glad we had brought along our own propane lamp, as the better lighting made it possible to look over the Visitor's Guest Book. There was a lot of information about local areas of interest, including camping facilities and hiking trails.

There were many trails listed that go way beyond my limited endurance for physical punishment. I can push myself to a six or seven mile hike, if I think the visual rewards will be worth the pain. However, in most cases, I'd really rather not. Needless to say, I found the short trails with waterfalls more interesting than, say, the Pacific Crest Trail.

At that point, we really didn't know what we'd be doing the next day. The original plan was to hike up neighboring Bohemia Mountain. A short but fairly difficult climb, with absolutely amazing views from the summit. At an elevation of 5,987 feet, it is the highest mountain for many miles. (Fairview Peak is only 5,933 feet, although the cabin sits a bit higher at 5,990.) We decided one or two short hikes, at much lower elevations, made a reasonable alternative if the weather was uncooperative. We spent the rest of the evening with hot cocoa and backgammon.

The next morning it was quite obvious hiking Bohemia was out of the question. (Have you read "Windy Weekend on Fairview Peak"? 11-13-2003) We set our sights instead on two of the shorter hikes we had read about the night before. Moonfalls Trail (#1423) and Spirit Falls Trail (#1413) at elevations of 3,100 feet and 2,000 feet, respectively.

As we drove down the mountain, it was clear that we had made the right choice. While it remained mostly cloudy throughout the day, it was dry and pleasantly cool at the lower elevations. We found Moonfalls Trail first, as it is much better marked.

Now, October is hunting season around here, so I was wearing a bright red sweatshirt. Armed only with my camera and film, (I had foolishly left my tripod in the cabin,) we headed up the trail. This trail was quite easy to follow, and it didn't take long to get to the falls.

The area around the waterfall is old growth, so most of the light was filtered. The water volume was low, so the falls had a delicate, lacy look about it. Besides the main pool at the base of the 125-foot falls, there were many smaller pools nestled in the rocks higher up, and the moss was thick and green almost everywhere close to the water. It was really peaceful.

We spent quite some time exploring, with me taking pictures when I thought they would turn out. Then we headed back. After all, we had another waterfall to find. By this time, my husband is carrying just about everything: camera case, two water bottles, film case (a converted insulated lunch pail), and so on. It is because of these trips, where he ends up carrying all of my paraphernalia, while I have only the camera, that he has earned the nickname "Llama".

Back in the car, it took a while to find the trailhead to Spirit Falls. There's just a wide spot on the road with a small, almost hidden, sign. The information about this trail said it is fairly level at the beginning, but gets rather steep further on. The information was accurate, at least about the grade. I tend to think the trail was longer than they listed, especially on the return.

Still, the trip was well worth it. The various shades of green and gold were vibrant around the water as it tumbled over the edge, cascading lightly down the fairly smooth rounded face of the rock wall. I kicked myself about the tripod, again, and took what pictures I could.

The hike back to the car was a vivid reminder that I need to spend less time with my computer, and more time walking the dog. My knees were close to wobbly by the time I reached the car. Fortunately, the drive back to the tower, over rough back roads, takes quite a bit of time. I wasn't looking forward to the climb back up the tower.

If you are interested, here are some links to directions and specific information about the trails mentioned above.

Moonfalls Trail
Spirit Falls Trail
Bohemia Mountain Trail

 
Windy Weekend on Fairview Peak
This was a busy summer. Working 40 plus hours a week at a "real" job doesn't leave much time for my passion of photography, but my husband and I managed to make several forays into the "wilds" of Oregon.

Perhaps the most memorable was the latest. We spent a weekend in the Umpqua National Forest, staying two nights at the Fairview Peak Watch Tower. Apparently, this past summer was the first year that the tower has been available for rent. We learned about it in July, and late October was the earliest we could get reservations. That seemed like a good idea anyway, as the fire season would be long over with.

We drove the short but time-consuming drive on Saturday, arriving in the early afternoon to a beautiful, clear sky. To the Northeast of us, we could see the tip of Mt Hood. (Fairview Peak is Southeast of Cottage Grove) To the West, we could "almost" see the ocean. Sunday night we could see light from Reedsport reflected on the clouds. But Saturday, there were only a few clouds.

As we had expected, the view was spectacular!. 360 degrees of mountains and sky!

One thing we had forgotten was just how windy it is at the top of the tower. I wasn't able to take any pictures that required a slow shutter speed and tripod, as the tower did a lot of shuddering and shaking. And while I did get some nice shots of the Three Sister tinged in pink from the setting sun, the sunset was cut short by incoming clouds.

We went to bed that night hoping for a nice sunrise. My husband can sleep anywhere, so he managed to get a fairly decent night's sleep. I, on the other hand, was awake until the wee hours of the morning when exhaustion finally set in. The winds really pick up at night, and up in the tower, it felt to me as though we were in gale force winds.

We woke up, around 7 am, to an eerie sight. During the night, the winds had brought in a lot of clouds, and our 14' x 14' glassed in cabin was high up in the clouds. You couldn't see much when you looked out the windows, unless you looked straight down. The ground, 53' below, was barely visible! A couple of crows flew by, chasing each other. At first we thought one might land on the railing, then they disappeared, maybe 10' from the cabin.

The wind had let up a bit, but it was still howling. We fixed a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and made our plans for the day. With the tower socked in, we decide to check out some of the nearby trails that were listed in the guest book provided by the US Forest Service.

We had no idea what the weather would be like once we came down off the mountain, but I was hopeful it wouldn't be raining. There were several waterfalls in the area, and they are easier to take photos of when it's cloudy. The light is more even and there is less contrast.

As it turned out, it was a good move. When we returned that afternoon, there still wasn't much to see from the tower, though it wasn't nearly so socked in. There wasn't much of a sunset, either. After dark, the clouds moved to the North and we could see the stars over head. To the Northwest, we could see the lights of Cottage Grove and Eugene/Springfield. They lit up the sky well enough to see that there were high clouds over both areas all night.

The next morning, there was a pleasant sunrise. Too many clouds to be a "Kodak Moment" but pleasing to the soul. I was able to get a few shots later, with the sun streaming down through an opening in the clouds.

We packed up and moved everything to the car after another hearty breakfast. The wind was so strong it forced us, and our belongings, against the railing all the way down. In fact, just going up and down the stairs several times over the weekend was quite an adventure in itself.

With the car packed, we headed back to Eugene, taking the scenic route. We went back down the mountain following roads we had never been on before. At one point we saw a logging operation. They were using a helicopter to transport logs from one side of the mountain to another. It was windy there, too. The chopper was only moving one log at a time!

Once back on the main road, we decided to check out the Parker Falls trail. We had seen the trailhead many times before but had never stopped. This day we had plenty of time, so we stopped. Taking pictures along the way, it took over three hours to complete the 2-1/2 mile round trip hike, so we headed straight home from there.

I sure was glad to sleep in my own bed that night. Too bad I had to work the next day. I really wanted to sleep in.

In all, we hiked three different trails that weekend, all of which ended at a waterfall. I'm saving the details of those hikes for another day.

'til then, take care.
-Anita